Hi everybody, my name is Rachel, and I’m extraordinarily excited to be starting this blog. I have no idea where this will take me, but ultimately I’m here to help you. I thought you’d like to know more about why I am here!  This is my own introductory post. I hope to use it as a reflection and as a reminder about where I started, how I got here, and where I’ve progressed down the road.

If you want to drive right into planners, please check out this post right here.

In October of 2016, a therapist of mine introduced bullet journaling to me in passing. I was working a lot on mindfulness and overcoming challenging mindsets with her at the time. I always had a tough time understanding people, continuing projects I started, and frequently let my thoughts dictate my life choices.

The mindfulness therapy and training was slow and tedious, but it was helpful. I recognized it and worked hard, regardless. We worked through a few different workbooks, trying to determine which system would be most helpful. She saw my effort and continued hard to find a solution.

Somewhere in our myriad of conversation about helping me become more mindful about myself, she asked me “Have you ever heard of bullet journaling?” Who ever guessed those particular skills we’d been working on, coupled with this one little question, would actually launch into something as amazing as it did?

So! Back to bullet journaling. The second I had a chance to research after that session, I joined nearly every Facebook group I could find to learn more.

I loved what I saw. I mean, the community itself was lovely. But I enjoyed the dot grid pages, the creativity, the trackers, all of it! Even though I didn’t actually understand what many of those things were.

In my haste to jump in feet first, I ordered my very first dot journal (which actually turned to be a blank journal, but I made the decision that I was going to roll with my mistake and keep going forward).

My first few pages were honestly messy and disorganized. Regardless of how the pages looked, I fell in love with it. I never could maintain the planners I got in school or what I bought from the store. But I was able to keep going with bullet journaling in ways I never could maintain before. I mean, I was able to control the structure I needed from week to week. That was definitely very beneficial to my personality type.

I started learning more about myself. I started connecting better with others. I started remembering more about my days, my weeks, my months. I started achieving and moving forward with accomplishing my goals. It wasn’t always easy, and sometimes I missed days or made mistakes.

Yet, there was more than the creativity portion that kept me at it though. I mean, I’ve always been a creative person, and that never prevented my giving up on things I liked in the past. There was still something more. And it honestly took me many months to understand what the ‘extra’ kick that kept me going (even when I didn’t feel like it). I mean, it’s not actually a skill that a person would typically involve with planners in any way, shape, or form.

What was it?

It was my mindfulness training. It was acceptance and commitment therapy. It was dialectical behavioral therapy techniques. These were all skills that were introduced to me in the months prior and following my introduction to bullet journal. This was the glue that held it together. This was the catapult that brought me through tough times. This was what helped me be realistic when I felt like giving up or that I wasn’t good enough.

So, it lead to brainstorming. Lots of pondering about the subject. Trying to figure out the relationship between keeping a planner (a bullet journal is a type of planner, even though it’s called a journal) and my mindfulness training.

And then I figured it out.

I realized through my Facebook groups that a lot of people struggled with maintaining their planners. They lost focus, they lost heart, they didn’t have a good reason for keeping their planners. They got frustrated if they forgot for a few days and gave it up entirely.

Yet they obviously still have the interest and desire based from their posts and their attempts through spending money at new systems.

Even beyond Facebook, as I carried my bullet journals with me from work to activities, people would stop and admire my planners.

“I wish I could keep a planner!” Was a very frequent remark from those admirations.

The need is real. People want it. I hear it at least once a week. Sometimes multiple times a day!

So, then I decided to do a little bit of research. Were there blogs out there serving to help people maintain planners?

I saw less than five. (I’m actually sure there are quite a few more, but they certainly didn’t come up easily in Google!)

Many lifestyle or mom blogs may have an article or two, and there were a handful of blogs talking about specific planners, but that was honestly about it.

Considering how prevalent planners are in our society, I find this absolutely surprising. There is a ‘For Dummies’ book for EVERYTHING.

Well, not for keeping a planner.

So here I am, wanting to build this necessity.

I am not so much interested in your title. I’m interested in who you are at this moment. You may be a middle schooler desiring organization with schoolwork. You may be planning a wedding. You may be searching for your first job after college. You may just want to learn more about yourself.

Or, like me, you want to start a blog.

I can help you find the right planner to help assist with accomplishing your goals, whatever goals and desires you have.

By the way, if you’re still here and reading this… thank you for taking the moment to learn about my journey. Ultimately, my journey is what is leading me to want to help you!

Well, I’m here to show you how a planner will improve your life in ways you’ve never imagined. I will show you the ins and outs of various planners to help you find a planner best suited for your needs. I will teach you the skills to keep moving forward to new heights.

Welcome to your planner journey, and I’m glad you’ve joined me today. It is an absolutely fulfilling ride.